Horto-Metochi

Metochi

Distance: 6,4 km

Total time: 2 hours

Altitude: from 0 m. (Chorto) to 279 m. (Stavros)

Marked with: round yellow signs

Drinking water on walk: yes (Metochi fountain)

Download GPS track: from Wikiloc    from Everytrail

      An easy, 2-hour walk climbing from the seaside village of Chorto to Metochi mostly on earth road and coming back through a connection to the route Argalasti-Chorto that passes just west of Metochi.

     Starting from the asphalt road bridge of Chorto`s stream, we walk at the left side of the stream on a flat stone paved road, which soon passes on to the other side, next to a small wooden bridge. At the corner of the cemetery housing a shrine, we turn right uphill on a concrete road. Reaching an uphill junction we head left, following the round signs put up by the Friends of the Kalderimi of South Pelion Association. The whole route is meticulously signed by these. Further up, we notice a 200 m. stretch of path on the left hand side of the earth road we walk into, but it is blocked by vegetation, so we continue on the road in expectation for its being cleaned.

      Soon we get a view of Metochi and, just after a junction going to Milina on the right, we leave the earth road at the point where it takes a right turn and continue straight ahead, to find the kalderimi (stone paved path) into an olive grove. Passing next to a shrine and the church of Panagia on the right, we then cross the stream over a bridge that lies on stone built bases. Here also lies an old fountain dating from 1929, devoid of water. The beautiful kalderimi continues to climb and, as it enters Metochi, gets covered by cement.

A house`s yard at Metochi

      Getting just below the village square in somewhat less than an hour from the start, and in order to avoid walking on the main asphalt, we follow a concrete paved path a few meters below the asphalt heading left (west). Both options take us to the fountain at the entrance of Metochi. By now we must be thirsty enough, so it is a good thing to drink from the fountain`s plentiful cool water. A few meters further on the asphalt road, we find the path on the right, crossing a small stream and then climbing the slope in a northwesterly direction. This stretch was completely blocked by wild vegetation until 2012, when members of FoK and Orivatikos Alpine club managed to open it again, a difficult task demanding hundreds of hours of hard volunteer work.

Climbing from Metochi fountain to Stavros

      Reaching an underground water tank at the top of the hill, called Stavros, we meet the Argalasti-Chorto route. Going right, we can get to Argalasti square in half an hour. For Chorto, we turn left and, passing over soil left from the tank`s construction, we find ourselves walking down a wide kalderimi, between two pezoules (low stone walls). This part was also completely blocked by vegetation before.

    Further down, we cross the asphalt and continue to the other side on impressive kalderimi for a few meters, which then becomes a wide path. Crossing obliquely the asphalt, the path continues as earth road with stretches of kalderimi. Reaching an olive grove, the road becomes a path at the grove`s right side, parallel to an old telephone line. We walk into forest for a little while and then cross the asphalt. The kalderimi descends on a straight line between two olive groves and crosses the asphalt again. At the other side there is a narrow earth road-kalderimi. The road turns left, but the kalderimi continues straight ahead into an olive grove, only to disappear immediately.  Walking straight into the grove on the path parallel to the asphalt on our right side, we soon reach a small concrete building of the water system. There we turn left downhill, following an earth road that incorporates stretches of kalderimi.

On the way to Chorto

     Further down, the road is covered by concrete for a short distance and then becomes a kalderimi. We pass by the old fountain of Dialetaras next to a small water tank as we walk into Chorto and the kalderimi stops as we cross a concrete road. We continue straight ahead and soon reach the stream, where we turn right to return to our starting point.